The present disclosure generally relates to methods for securing optical elements to substrates and, more particularly methods for bonding optical elements to substrates using a laser beam, and optical connectors and assemblies comprising optical elements bonded to substrates using a laser beam.
Benefits of optical communication include extremely wide bandwidth and low noise operation. Because of these advantages, optical fiber is increasingly being used for a variety of applications, including, but not limited to, broadband voice, video, and data transmission. Connectors are often used in data center and telecommunication systems to provide service connections to rack-mounted equipment and to provide inter-rack connections. Accordingly, optical connectors are employed in both optical cable assemblies and electronic devices to provide an optical-to-optical connection wherein optical signals are passed between an optical cable assembly and an electronic device.
Optical devices, such as optical connectors, may include optical elements secured to a substrate. For example, an optical connector may include optical fibers secured to a substrate by use of an adhesive, which may have a high coefficient of thermal expansion. The optical connectors may then be connected to another optical device to provide optical communication between optical devices. In one example, the optical connector is connected to an edge of a waveguide substrate having waveguides providing optical channels. The waveguide substrate may be a component of a photonic integrated circuit assembly, for example. In some cases, the connected optical connector and the optical device may be subjected to elevated temperatures, such as during a solder reflow process. The high CTE adhesive may cause the position of the optical elements to shift due to the elevated temperatures and become misaligned with the optical channels of the optical device. The shifting of the optical elements may prevent optical signals from passing between the optical connector and the optical device.